newb tuning Qs

[Foxfan88]

heya have a 5.0 with mild HCI (thumper b-cam combo and i am looking for more power.

with such a mild combo should i just be looking to get on a dyno and manually tinker with FP, and timing for maximum power??

i may be getting a SC soon i am not sure but then would i need to get a nice dyno computer tune? or could i still manually tinker with it myself??

also how do the dyno chip deals work, is it just come software a dyno man has and after you make runs and stuff he burns a chip that piggybacks into your computer?? and how much does that cost usually ( a ballpark guess)

and how much are the handheld tuners and do they work well and are they worth the price???

also

i have a painless wiring injector harness, the car is a 91 gt, and this harness is just the engine harness i think, its all the stuff that plugs into the salt and pepper shakers, the injectors and stuff like that, it also controls my ignition, as my spout is relocated under the dash right by the computer ( and the stock harness is tucked back in the engine bay. i also think it controls my MAF and stuff, and it also has its own connectors for taking engine codes.



would this present any problems to a dyno tuner or a handheld unit??

 

[vristang]

i have a painless wiring injector harness, the car is a 91 gt, and this harness is just the engine harness i think, its all the stuff that plugs into the salt and pepper shakers, the injectors and stuff like that, it also controls my ignition, as my spout is relocated under the dash right by the computer ( and the stock harness is tucked back in the engine bay. i also think it controls my MAF and stuff, and it also has its own connectors for taking engine codes.

I don't think I fully understand what you are describing?
You have 2 complete engine harnesses? Are they completely separate?



As long as the drivability isn't too bad, you should do well with fp and timing. Sometimes the Ford cams can induce some poor idle conditions though...

If you are going boost, I suggest a tune. It is a lot safer than guessing.

A dyno tune will result in you having a chip/module plugged into the J3 port of your ecu. The chip will contain settings which will over-ride the factory settings in the ecu.
Cost seems to be around 7-800 bones, depending on the tuning system, and where you are.
The alternative is for you to purchase a tuning system now, and start learning how to tune the car while it is still n/a.
This will give you time to pick up the basics before getting into the scary boost regions.

I don't think there are any 'handhelds' available for EEC-IV vehicles, unless you count the PMS...

my thoughts,
jason

 

[Foxfan88]

thanks for the reply, and about the harness' the factory harness, the one that plugs into the big black and white (salt and pepper) plugs, that harness ISNT in the car, its in the garage sitting. this painless harnes runs into the firewall and duno if its plugged into the computer, it may look like there is a big black think piggybacking the computer but i duno if its factory? but some factory harness' are still tucked around in the engine bay, like the factory code scanner plug deals and the factory dizzy harness (module plug and SPOUT)

i am considering going back in and ripping that all out and trying to run the factory stuff, i duno why someone changed it in the first place.

 

[vristang]

thanks for the reply, and about the harness' the factory harness, the one that plugs into the big black and white (salt and pepper) plugs, that harness ISNT in the car, its in the garage sitting. this painless harnes runs into the firewall and duno if its plugged into the computer, it may look like there is a big black think piggybacking the computer but i duno if its factory? but some factory harness' are still tucked around in the engine bay, like the factory code scanner plug deals and the factory dizzy harness (module plug and SPOUT)

i am considering going back in and ripping that all out and trying to run the factory stuff, i duno why someone changed it in the first place.

Is it possible to post a picture of the 'big black thing piggbacking the computer'???
This has my mind racing with the possibilities of what it may be
Is it plugged into the J3 port???

So you have an aftermarket harness running from the ecu to the salt and pepper shakers?
As long as everything is hooked up, and you don't get any codes from the ecu, then you should be fine.
It might make you feel better to yank that extra wiring out of the car???

jason

 

[Foxfan88]

what exactly is the j3 port?

and nothing is using the salt and pepper plugs, the plugs that come from the cars harness are just hanging there, then the harness that plugs into it (factory injector harness) is in my garage.

i will try and snap some pics but from what i can remember its black an pluggin into the back of the computer, and its as wide as the computer itself.

 

[vristang]

i will try and snap some pics but from what i can remember its black an pluggin into the back of the computer, and its as wide as the computer itself.

As wide as the ecu???...


Here is an example of the J3 port...

jason

 

[Foxfan88]

hmmm i duno, i will have to get under there and snap some pics, i will do that tommorow

 

[Foxfan88]

View attachment 381544
heres all i can really get a pic of, just the computer, the plug think wasnt as wide as the ECU, my bad but let me know how this compares to stock.

 

[vristang]

That looks to be a factory ecu. The plugs on the ecu sticks out a little.
Normally, a refurbished ecu will be painted black, the way your is.
There isn't anything wrong with the refurbished ecu's.


I just found this pic on evilbay...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/87-9...94QQihZ005QQcategoryZ6763QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
One of the pics shows a 'superchips' plugged into the harness. It doesn't look like you have one of these though...

The J3 port is way up top in your picture. That is where a custom dyno tune chip would be installed.


jason

 

[Foxfan88]

so chances are the painless harness just plugs into the ECU like a stock one does?

 

[Foxfan88]

opps dbl post